I’m grabbing 45 spare minutes to work on my novel. I’m just over 22,800 words through the first draft of my second novel, and it’s been slow-going over the last few weeks. Life’s been busy and I’ve been grabbing a quiet morning with both hands and working on my WIP.

1. I put my mobile phone out of reach. Even if it doesn’t ring, I will undoubtedly pick it up and fiddle with it. It’s a distraction I don’t need.2. If I have something is going to cut short my writing time (e.g. work, Spanish class, meeting a friend), I set a timer. This ensures I don’t get carried away and write for hours, and I don’t sit clock watching. Every glance at my watch is a few seconds of distraction. I use the timer on my phone, so point one about putting said phone out of reach needs a caveat: my phone needs to be within listening distance.3. I close down my internet browser – after announcing to the world on Twitter that I #amwriting, of course!4. There’s always a cup of tea sitting beside me. Keeping hydrated is key to producing any content - good, bad or ugly. Nothing at all will appear on my blank pages if I’ve not had enough to drink that day.5. Having a spare half hour or so doesn’t always mean I’m using it to crack on with writing. Case in point: I very rarely write before I go to bed. If I’ve had a busy day, I won’t spend the last hour I’m awake slogging at my first draft. It’s just not productive. I remember saying in my student days that “my brain shuts down in time for Eastenders.” I don’t watch that show anymore (two years clean!), but my brain is still in the habit of closing down around the 7pm mark.

I’ve just lost 15 minutes of ‘novel time’ writing this blog post, so I’ll leave it there.

How do you make the most of those treasured few minutes of writing you can grab here there and everywhere throughout the week?Lou x

Taking a quick break to say hi via #WWWblogs on twitter. It can be very distracting to write, and to find time to write before the rest of the world wants something from you! Timer is great! Sometimes the #writeclub is good on Fridays. And yes, sometimes the brain does shut down later at night, though sometimes that is when I write. Good luck!